Midnight Ash (A Blushing Death Novel) (12 page)

I couldn’t imagine her taking a heart every time she fed. Her lair, apartment, or whatever hole she lived in would be covered in human hearts in little Ziploc bags, piled to the ceiling like little squishy pillows.

“She takes only the hearts of those she’s personally hired to assassinate.” His eyes focused hard on me as if trying to look through to my soul. “I believe Mrs. Corning’s death, however, would be very important to her as a message to us.”

“So, what do we do?” Danny asked. It was the first real contribution he’d made all night. I looked to Patrick for that answer. Quite frankly, I was fresh out of ideas.

“I want to talk to the board and see if I can stop this before anything worse happens,” Patrick hissed under his breath.

“How are we supposed to do that?” I asked, a little frustrated and on edge. All I wanted to know was how to stay alive and who to kill.

“We’re going to my office. Now!” Patrick grabbed my hand and headed for the kitchen.

“Danny,” I called behind me as Patrick dragged me through my house. “Get some wolves that don’t mind being exposed. I’m bringing Derek in.” It wasn’t a question and he didn’t argue.

“Yes, ma’am,” he replied.

“He’ll be at Damsel at eight-thirty . . . Be ready,” I ordered.

He pulled out his phone and started dialing. Patrick, Nova, and I drove to Damsel while Danny, Kurt, and Jade followed in the SUV.

Inside of ten minutes, Patrick, Danny, and I entered the upstairs office at Damsel. Alex had appeared from the shadows and followed us in. She closed the door behind her.

“Should Dean be here?” Patrick asked Danny.

“There’s no time,” he said. He stood straight and tall, his back rigid and his shoulders wide, suddenly confident. Patrick put the phone on ‘speaker’ and hit a speed dial button. The musical tones of numbers echoed against the light thump of bass from the club below. The line rang, filling the office with an ominous silence and the harsh shrill ring of the phone.

“Lebensblut International, New York Offices. How may I help you?” a woman with an accent that teetered somewhere between German and English sang over the line.

“Could you put me through to the boardroom, please?” Patrick asked, his voice velvety smooth, confident, and alluring.

“Who’s calling, please?” she asked, her tone polite but firm.

“Patrick Cavanaugh from the Northwest Territory,” he cooed at her.

“One moment, please.”

The phone clicked over to soft Muzak, Pat Benetar’s “Hit Me with Your Best Shot” hummed over the line.
I was getting antsy and my palms were sweating as the Muzak filled the room.
How long does it take to relay a damned message?

“I will transfer you in, Sir. Thank you,” the woman said with a smile in her voice. It sounded too perky and inappropriate considering a vampire ninja was trying to kill me. There was another ring and then silence.

“Patrick, m’boy. How are you?” a strong, baritone voice boomed, carrying through Patrick’s office like Teddy Roosevelt was on the other end.

“Sir,” Patrick offered, gracious. “Not as well as I had hoped.”

“I heard about Ethan,” the man on the other end said in a soft tone filled with remorse. “I’m sorry for your loss, son. I know he cared for you like you were his very own.”

Patrick’s features seemed hardened somehow, showing no emotion as his eyes emptied at the man’s words.

He never talked to me about Ethan. Maybe that was his way of putting Ethan behind him but I’d killed the man he’d thought of as a father. I felt guilty that I’d hurt him but not about killing Ethan. He’d been a danger to everyone and needed to die. I didn’t want to remind Patrick of what I’d done, ever.

“Thank you,” Patrick whispered as he leaned back in his chair. He dropped a metaphysical wall between us like an iron curtain, slamming me out and snapping my synapses in a quick pierce of pain through my mind. Whatever he was feeling, he didn’t want me to know.

“I was also sorry to hear about Midnight Ash,” the booming man said almost as an afterthought. His voice that had been almost kind now held a warning.

“Arthur? I called to convince you to call her back,” Patrick’s voice broke, not enough that perhaps Danny noticed or even Arthur but I noticed, as the strain finally started to show. I circled around the desk and ran my hand along his back. His skin was cool under my fingers and the taut muscles in his shoulders relaxed under my touch.

“I wish I could, but you know once she’s let out of the bag, it’s real hard to put her back in. The Board didn’t contract her,” he snorted over the line, “but don’t think we didn’t talk about it, son. You’re scaring a lot a people. But we have no say in how she fulfills that contract a’ hers.” His tone was low and dangerous.

My mind cleared and the air in my lungs fluttered out as I breathed in and out letting my anger and fear turn into something else, something deadly.

“It’s a shame, too, cause I hear you’re doin’ some real good things over there. Those are some of the changes I wanted to make. But you know these old coots. They don’t want to hear about it unless it has a cape or a candelabrum attached to it.” He snuffed his laughter as he spoke.

I caught a glimpse of Patrick smiling along with him. Patrick liked him.

“Arthur, you’re almost 500 years old. You’re not fresh from the grave either,” Patrick chided.

“That’s true enough,” Arthur said with chagrin in his tone. “But compared to some of these guys, I’m still cutting my teeth. They won’t let me forget it either.”

“Arthur?” I asked, my voice confident and strong.

Patrick leaned back in his chair and grasped my hand tight in his. His fingers gripped mine like it was the last time.

The other end of the line remained silent. I took that as my opportunity to get the ball rolling.

“My name’s Dahlia. I’m . . .” I stopped.
What was I?
I glanced down at Patrick, hoping for some help. He shrugged and ran his free hand thoughtlessly through his thick black hair.

“You’re that saucy little human I’ve been hearin’ so much about.” He laughed a hearty guffaw.

“I am,” I said, leaning against the desk with Patrick’s hand still clutched in mine. I wasn’t sure I was doing it for his comfort or mine. I guess it didn’t matter. “Do you happen to know who contracted Midnight Ash and who her target is?” I asked.

“No, honey, I sure don’t,” he said with a weight to his voice that made me think whether I said it or not, he got my meaning. She was after me. Not Patrick, not Dean . . . me. “I sure would like to meet ya,” he said with unexpected warmth.

I imagined that if I said yes, he’d give me a hearty
yeehaa
.

“Let’s say her contract is for two people. What happens if only half the contract is fulfilled?” I asked, my wording very careful. The longer this went on, the more I thought that getting me out of the way was the main priority and Patrick was secondary. No one else caught her scent, or was seeing her in their dreams. It could just mean that my sensitivities were getting stronger but my gut told me she was focused on me for a reason. Not the vampire colony. Not Patrick. I wasn’t about to leave it to chance, though, in the event that her contract was for both of us.

“Well, honey, you do ask the tough questions, don’t ya?” he said. A heavy clunk on hard wood and then a second
thunk
resonated on the other end. I imagined him putting his big feet up on the desk with two quick
thunks
of boots on wood.

Patrick didn’t want to think about either of us dying, but I was more pragmatic. The fact that I might die wasn’t only a possibility, it was a probability. I was human and everyone standing around me wasn’t. My mission from here on out was to cover my bases and make sure those I loved were safe. That was all I could do.

“I want your word, Arthur, that if the contract is fulfilled in any part, additional grievances will be negotiated to the acceptance of both parties and no other assassins will be dispatched,” I commanded. I didn’t dare leave room to negotiate.

“I’d love to, honey, but like I said, we didn’t contract her,” he said, like a proper politician. He had almost 500 years to practice evasion tactics but I was persistent.

“I understand. I want your
word
that you will
require
negotiation from any party with a grievance toward Patrick, this vampire colony, or any of his territories,” I said, closing any loopholes that I could think of.

“You’re talking about protection. Protection from the board itself or any of its members,” he said with a smile in his voice. “You’ve got a smart one there, Patrick.”

Arthur was quiet on the other end of the phone for a long, agonizing moment before he answered. “You got yourself a deal, little lady,” he said with an entertained laugh. “God almighty, I hope she doesn’t kill ya. I’d love to meet ya,” he said.

“Thank you,” I breathed as a weight lifted from my body. Patrick and the rest would have protection as best as I could provide.

“Good luck, m’boy,” Arthur said with a twinge of uncertainty. The receiver clicked over to a long flat dial tone and the room exploded into tension.

“What was that all about, Dahl?” Danny snarled. He uncrossed his arms and stood, an imposing figure rippling the heat of his anger and intimidation through the chill of Patrick’s office until it was almost something I could touch. Danny strode into the middle of the room with purpose in each step. He’d gained a measure of confidence since this afternoon and a swagger that hadn’t been there before.

Patrick grimaced at Danny’s flaunting confidence, glaring at the werewolf with a flash of violence in his lovely dark eyes. He wanted to hurt Danny, maybe even me for that swagger.

“She thinks she’s protecting us, if something happens to her,” Alex snapped in disgust from her perch on the sofa arm. “I think we can rule out the Board here in the States.” Alex started strategizing as she hopped gracefully to her feet and paced her own frustrated line in the floor.

“Patrick?” she asked as she reached in the top drawer of Patrick’s desk and snatched a cigarette out. She flipped the stick up to her lips and lit the end as she resumed pacing back and forth across the floor. Her eyes were cast down as she took in a long, slow drag of nicotine. Suddenly, she stopped pacing, looked up, and exhaled toward the ceiling.

“Patrick!” she snapped when he didn’t answer. Her voice was sharp and agitated, finally catching his attention.

Patrick’s glare was filled with wrath. My gut churned with his confusion and anxiety as his control wavered.

“Alex,” I whispered in caution. She whipped her head around and glared at me. I nodded for her to get out before Patrick killed her. Even if it was by accident. Patrick would never forgive himself for killing her in the heat of the moment. She grabbed Danny’s arm and started tugging.

“Hey,” he grumbled as he glanced over his shoulder at me.

“Go,” I ordered in a hushed tone.

Danny followed Alex, dragging his feet with every step out. I could see in his expression that he didn’t want to leave but he still followed her.

“Come on, big boy, you can show me those big arms for a few minutes,” Alex quipped with unfiltered annoyance as she escorted him out.

The door slammed behind me.

Patrick stood as still as stone with his eyes fixed on me, fists tight at his sides and his jaw in a granite line of anger, hiding those luscious full lips from view.

“What’s your problem?” I asked with frustration bubbling around the edges of my words. They would be safe, his entire colony, the city. They would all be safe. I got to my feet and squared my shoulders as I slammed my hands down on my hips. What exactly did he want from me for fuck’s sake?

He glared at me, his dark eyes penetrating into my being like a searchlight making my heart race and my body tense. Patrick said nothing as I stared him down, narrowing my eyes on him and letting him see my anger. The push of his power against me was usually like a cool stream. Somehow his anger had manipulated it to something static and more frigid. I could taste his anger, like dry ice on my tongue.

“What?” I asked, exasperated more than anything else.

“I don’t know what to say to you.”

“What? Why?”

“You are giving up. Do you think we can’t protect you? Do you think I would be able to function if I lost you?” he asked, placing both hands flat on the desk to support his weight as his dark eyes bore into me. His voice was pleading and unsure. My breath caught in my throat as his agony caught me off guard. I was prepared for jealousy and for the anger. I wasn’t prepared for the quiet desperation that filled him, radiating out like a cancer.

I stepped around the desk and caressed his cheek with my shaking hand. He was always so cool and in control, hiding his emotions from me while maintaining the confidence of the entire colony. Everyone relied on him for that cool confidence, even me. He was getting better all the time too, keeping more and more from me. Sometimes I forgot I wasn’t the only one worried.

I trailed my fingers across his cold skin. He hadn’t eaten yet. He looked up at me with anguish-filled eyes and lips that had disappeared in a grim line across his face. His brow was furrowed, waiting for me to say something to reassure him that I hadn’t, as he put it, given up. I hadn’t given up but I wasn’t one to shirk my responsibilities. Patrick had become my responsibility along with Alex, his colony, Danny. I would make sure they all survived if I wasn’t there to protect them. I had to make him see that and understand.

I kissed him on the cheek and ran my hand through his dark, coarse hair, relishing the feel of it through my fingers.

“I haven’t given up,” I whispered with a resolute smile. “
I
just need to know that you, Alex, and everyone else that’s important to me, will be taken care of if the worst happens.”

A hot tear streamed down my face.
GOD DAMN IT!
I mentally stomped my foot in protest. I hated crying. I took a deep breath to steady myself.

Patrick brushed my cheek with the pad of his thumb, wiping the tear away. He raised his thumb to his face and stared at the tear resting in a perfect drop as if it was something foreign, precious. I suddenly needed him to touch me. I wanted him to remember the feel of my skin and my scent.

“Promise me something,” I whispered.

He nodded, slipping his thumb in his mouth and sucking the salt of my tear from his skin.

“Promise me you won’t do anything stupid or that you won’t let Danny do anything stupid if something does happen to me.”